Art Center of Estes Park - what a gallery!

Nestled among the pines just above the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and Subway and just a stone's throw
away from Safeway and MacDonald's resides The Art Center of Estes Park.

I became a member of The Art Center of Estes Park in January of this year and one of the responsibilities of membership is working in the gallery.  

I know, consider the incredible situation of being surrounded by beautiful, intriguing original art all day in one of the most stunning mountain communities in Colorado!  It's a wonder that still amazes me!  In fact, so great is the enjoyment that Ken is now volunteering to go with me!!!

Massive jagged walls highlight the beauty of the Big Thompson Canyon.

Imagine leaving for work and getting to drive through the Big Thompson Canyon's sheer granite walls carved over eons by the Big Thompson River that flows beside Highway 34 that leads up to Estes Park from Loveland.

It is a beautiful and winding highway, but it is not lost on us that this is the replacement highway, a most important reconstruction needed to connect mountain communities once again after this highway was severely damaged after the massive floods in 2013.

Evidence of the destruction is still apparent.  Although an amazing number of cabins along the river's path have been repaired or rebuilt, there are a significant number of shuttered and empty cabins with damage too great.

A perfect blue-sky morning greets us as we open the south balcony door.

We arrive at the gallery at 9:45 a.m., giving us a few minutes to get the gallery ready to greet guests at 10 a.m.

With clear skies and warm July temperatures, it is a lovely cross-breeze when we open the main door and the balcony door.  

A water feature begins next to the
stairway that connects the Safeway
parking lot to the gallery.

With both doors open I quickly realize another benefit--the sound of water rushing over rocks!

Next to the gallery is a delightful water feature that resembles a small creek that leads from the Safeway parking lot down to an attractive water fountain below.

The large pine trees offer welcome shade and it's not unusual to see families picnicing at the tables provided and to hear children laugh in delight as they shed shoes and wade in the cold water.

You can see that the working conditions are marvelous!  

Picnic tables beckon families to enjoy the shade and the water!

Water rushes downhill over rocks and under sidewalks to the
fountain below.

Not long after we prop open the doors do we begin a day filled with interesting people, some residents of Estes Park but most visitors from all over the world.

They are drawn to Rocky Mountain National Park. (Note: see my other blog, 
TobyBakerSparklingStories.blogspot.com for our trip into the park and all the way to Grand Lake!)

Understanding the lure of the Rockies as well as LOW humidity, we ask about their journeys and receive remarkable stories and adventures in reply.

We have met all ages, families, individuals, groups--all taking a moment to browse the Art Center of Estes Park and often engaging us in conversations that are interesting, uplifting and memorable.

We have met newlyweds of all ages, heard stories of romance that melt our hearts, talked with adventurers of all levels, and listened in awe to stories of courage and pluck.

Looking into the gallery from the south balcony.  The three large framed photographs to the left are my work.

Joyfully, we also sell art--and, I love connecting people to work created by the gallery's 40 renowned artists from Colorado. I am also asked to talk about art, like the difference between photography and mixed media or how I would describe impressionism.

View from the center desk toward the east and the main entran 

Often I'm asked about techniques and processes, how one gets a certain patina on bronze or how fused glass jewelry is created.  

Then there are the questions about the elements of art and I'm thankful, yet again, for my wonderful art teachers at Ohio Northern University who grounded me with enough art education to be comfortable discussing balance, unity, movement, patterns, emphasis, rhythm and contrast.  

One of the aspects that surprise us the most is the crazy, unexpected serendipity of connections--the folks from western North Dakota who know people we know; the folks from Illinois who live not far from where we used to live; the young couple from Texas who read that I graduated in art from Ohio Northern University as did his sister who we knew well while we were there!

A singer entertains visitors in Estes Park as we leave the gallery.

As busy days do, this one slips away quickly and it's time to tally the day's sales, turn out the lights and lock the doors.

We have found that if we book back-to-back gallery work days, we get to enjoy a night or two in Estes Park, to breath in that marvelous mountain air and share in the energy of a vacation destination site.  

We have our favorite restaurants and are still testing different lodging options to learn about Estes Park from a variety of perspectives.  Tonight we are staying in a rustic cabin just feet away from the Thompson River. This trip, after our gallery work is completed we plan to visit Rocky Mountain National Park ourselves.  The best balance of work and play!

The next evening as we leave the gallery, a large male elk "entertains" in the same park but attracts a larger crowd!